Fresh Market is closing 15 stores in 9 states. Here's the full list.

The Fresh Market is closing 15 stores in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The high-end grocery chain has been under pressure amid fierce pricing competition in the grocery industry.

Whole Foods, which is one of Fresh Market’s strongest direct competitors, has been cutting prices since it was acquired by Amazon in August.

At the same time, discount grocers including Aldi and Lidl have been rapidly growing, while expanding their assortment of organic and natural foods.

The Fresh Market is closing 15 of its more than 150 stores nationwide.

The closing stores span nine states including Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

“Over the last eight months, our company has been executing a turnaround plan and we’ve seen great progress,” Fresh Market CEO Larry Appel said in a statement. “However, for a variety of reasons unique to each retail location, that progress is not evenly distributed and, as a result, we have decided to close these long-term underperforming stores.”

The Fresh Market was taken private by Apollo Global Management in 2016 for $US1.36 billion. The high-end grocery chain has been under pressure amid fierce pricing competition in the grocery industry.

Whole Foods, which is one of Fresh Market’s strongest direct competitors, has been cutting prices since it was acquired by Amazon in August. At the same time, discount stores including Aldi and Lidl have been rapidly growing, while expanding their assortment of organic and natural foods.